It’s December 24 and The VAR Guy needs to, um, start his holiday shopping. So, our resident blogger is cutting out just a little early today. If any really big news breaks The VAR Guy will be back with timely updates. In the meantime here are six channel partner blogs The VAR Guy didn’t find time to write for the week ending December 24, 2010.

7. Next Moves: OnForce CEO Peter Cannone sent The VAR Guy some business updates earlier this week. Our resident blogger plans to take a closer look at OnForce, the online marketplace for VARs and MSPs, the week of December 27. Stay tuned.

6. Growing, Not Imploding: Despite the departure of Executive VP Paul Johnson, Sage Channel Chief Tom Miller says the company’s partner program remains in growth mode. During a phone call earlier this week, Miller provided multiple examples of Sage’s progress. The VAR Guy still needs to organize his own thoughts; more Sage coverage the week of Dec. 27.

5. Deeper Cloud Discounts?: More reports are flowing in that Microsoft is offering special pricing and financial incentives to ISVs that agree to back the Windows Azure cloud platform. Will the promotions help Azure to gain critical mass with partners … or do the special deals indicate that Azure is struggling to find a big audience? Hmmm…

4. Instant Pain: When Skype went dark earlier this week, The VAR Guy discovered just how much he depends on the instant messaging and video conferencing system. By December 23, The VAR Guy had resumed video chats with several key industry pundits. Those conversations will debut on The VAR Guy in January 2011.

3. Open Source Channel: The Open Source Channel Alliance didn’t make much news in 2010… perhaps suggesting that most VARs still don’t know how to make a buck on open source solutions. But here’s some interesting news: Cap Gemini, the consulting firm, has entered into an alliance with six open source companies: Zarafa, Red Hat, Hippo, Ingres, Pentaho and SugarCRM.

2. Thank You: The VAR Guy isn’t gloating, but he’s pleased to say traffic on this web site grew more than 60 percent in 201o vs. 2009. Our resident blogger appreciates the support and dialog. Also, Nine Lives Media Inc. CEO Amy Katz and Senior Sales Consultant Kim Daniels would like to thank our site sponsors. Without cash flow, The VAR Guy would go forever silent into the night. Imagine that.

1. Check the Headline: The VAR Guy doesn’t play by the rules. There is no Number One on this list… after all: You’ve already read the promised top 6 entries.

Note: The VAR Guy’s web site will be updated daily the week of Dec. 27-Dec. 31. But for those readers who are heading out on vacation: Thank you again for your support, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year just a little early.

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